News
Advocates Gather in Washington for 2024 Hill Day
On Thursday, May 16, AACI co-hosted the 2024 Hill Day with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). There were 100 participants representing 27 states, including cancer center directors, researchers, oncologists, cancer survivors, and other advocates attended meetings with legislators and staff on Capitol Hill. The group presented a unified voice supporting stable funding increases for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
The event kicked off the evening before with a reception in the Gold Room in the Rayburn House office building, including remarks by AACI Cancer Research Ally Award recipient Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), who shared the moving story of cancer's impact on his life, including losing his father to lung cancer. Representative Kat Cammack (R-FL) also delivered remarks. Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA) received a Cancer Research Ally Award at an in-person meeting the next day.
This year, three recipients of AACI’s Hill Day Scholarship were among the patient advocates in attendance. Overall, AACI and AACR hosted 10 survivor advocates in Washington. They helped highlight the far-reaching impact of cancer and underscored the importance of continued funding for the NIH and the NCI.
The specific federal budget "asks" for Fiscal Year 2025 were $51.3 billion for the NIH – an increase of $4.2 billion; and at least $7.934 for the NCI.